reased, and at last he gave orders to sound the retreat
and cross the river, to the dismay and indignation of Count Nassau, who saw
that this was practically raising the siege. Angry messages passed between
the two generals, until at length they were on the point of actual
fighting.

The Good Knight had been watching all this from the ramparts to his great
amusement, and he now thought it time to add to the confusion by a
well-aimed attack of artillery, which so added to the nervous alarms of the
besiegers that next morning they packed up their tents and camp equipment,
and the two Counts went off in different directions, while it was a long
time before they became friends again. Thus it was that Bayard kept at bay
the overwhelming forces of the enemy for three weeks, until the King of
France himself arrived with a great army. We see how it was that enemies of
the Good Knight could never get over a kind of supernatural terror both of
his splendid valour and his endless resources. King Francis sent for Bayard
to his camp, and on his way thither the indomitable captain retook the town
of Mouzon. He was received with the greatest honour by the King, who
bestowed on him the famous order of St. Michael and the command of a
hundred men-at-arms. He also made many promises of future greatness, and
both he and his mother, the Queen Louise, praised Bayard to the skies. But,
unfortunately, the only results of all this praise were a few empty honours
and an immense amount of jealousy and ill-feeling amongst the courtiers.
Indeed, we find that after this time Bayard never had any important charge
given to him, and never attained the position, which he so richly deserved,
of commander in time of war. It is very interesting to notice that the
"Loyal Servitor"--that faithful chronicler who followed Bayard through all
his campaigns, and probably often wrote at his dictation--never allows us
to suspect that the Good Knight felt any bitterness at this neglect. Not
one word of complaint is ever heard; he never murmured, he asked for
nothing; his only anxiety was to serve his country and his king.

If Bayard was not rewarded with the prizes of his profession he was
certainly always chosen when any dangerous or wearisome business was on
hand.

The Good Knight was not recalled to Court, and it is supposed that, besides
the jealousy which his brilliant deeds had awakened, he was also in
disgrace on account of his warm friendship for Charles d